The Times, They Are a Changing

With the new economic stimulus package just signed into law, we have effectively placed the chains of debt around our children’s necks for several generations. Jefferson called such behavior immoral and I agree. Rather than to be born free of debt, we have laid this odious burden upon our children to solve because we do not possess the ability to do what must be done. We need to allow business to fail when it should, home owners who took risky loans when they owed huge amounts of debt need to be foreclosed upon, and greedy business leaders who robbed the public should serve time. Aside from a few, such as Bernie Madoff, the corrupt business men will receive government money, businesses that should have failed, such as Chrysler, receives government money, and now homeowners who are buried in debt by their own actions are to receive government money. Does something seem wrong to you about all of this?

Additionally, the most open, ethical, and transparent government in the history of the world is continuing its habit of closed, unethical, and opaque behavior. This is why the U.S. congress has an approval rating in the single digits. Compare the congressional approval ratings with the ratings of former President Bush and Bush wins every time. Yet, we never hear from the main stream media, or as I prefer to call them: the propaganda arm of the DNC, regarding the utter failure of leadership by Nancy Pelosi in the House or of Harry Reid in the Senate. What we do hear is how dire the economic picture is and how we desperately need to get the new stimulus package passed in order to avert a catastrophe. In fact, the need is so dire that they flew one lawmaker into Washington from his deathly ill mother in order to make the vote. However, it is not so high a priority that President Obama needs to sign it immediately. He can take a leisurely trip to Colorado and sign the bill into law days later. Did I mention that none of the legislators voting for the stimulus package actually read it because of the rush?

We have been scammed. This is typical leftist behavior and it goes back to the ‘20’s. Create an emergency, pump up the public, and then rush through the changes as if your life depended on it. This is how President Obama thinks, it is how his Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel thinks, and it will not be the last time we see this tactic used. We have also seen what happens to unfavorable bills when Nancy Pelosi torpedoed the house bill in favor of the Senate bill because it had 150 billion dollars of political fun money in it. These are not the tax and spend Democrats of the ‘70’s and ‘80’s, they are far worse. Under their guidance the Federal budget has grown exponentially and government has also grown into American business so much, that Newsweek has openly declared that the United States is now a socialist nation.

While the United States has a major financial interest in most American banks, it stands ready to nationalize as soon as the left determines the right emergency to use in order to proceed. Freedom dies when the government nationalizes the banks. This is because the government will use its influence over the banks to control you and your actions. We have seen this behavior with regard for the businesses that have taken the Federal bail out money. These businesses must now prostrate themselves before the unions, place salary caps on executive employees, and do any other thing that Uncle Sam wants because they have taken his bailout. In this manner, the government can dictate the politics of business and business must comply or fail. This is why Ford told Uncle Sam to keep his loan. Do you really think that the government will respect you as an individual and allow you to voice opposition when they have control of the banks? Do you actually believe that the government will make a loan to your place of business or your employer if that entity holds views that are different from that of the government? In such a situation, the government will become Mr. Potter from the film "It's a Wonderful Life," but there will be no Jimmy Stewart to offer succor from the oppression of the banker.

The freedom of speech is already under heavy assault. A man was arrested for wearing a McCain campaign shirt the night that Obama was elected in the City of Philadelphia. That the man was arrested in the city that birthed American freedom at Independence Hall is ironic indeed. Another man, Chip Harrison, was illegally stopped by the Oklahoma City police and had his “Abort Obama, not the unborn” sign confiscated by the officer who was offended by the message. The officer also apparently contacted the Secret Service and reported the man as a threat to the President. Mr. Harrison also had to endure an interview by the Secret Service and a search of his home. I have a feeling that such events will not be a rarity in the future.

How did we come to this? By allowing the fabric of our culture to unravel before our eyes, by being apathetic to the government and its excesses, by holding our hands out and waiting for Uncle Sam to give us goodies, and by abdicating our morals and values. We have surrendered our individual will in favor of the collective and by so doing we have started on the path to serfdom. No one who is free can be dependant upon another, but he who is a slave can salve his sorrows in the tears of the herd.

I prefer to live free.

Reflecting on Obama and the Left ** Updated **

Michelle Malkin reports:

"The Pentagon’s senior judge overseeing terror trials at Guantanamo Bay dropped charges Thursday against an al-Qaida suspect in the 2000 USS Cole bombing, upholding President Barack Obama’s order to freeze military tribunals there. The charges against suspected al-Qaida bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri marked the last active Guantanamo war crimes case."

Dropping this case dashes the hope of seeing any kind of timely justice for the crew and families of the USS Cole. Obama displays the arrogance of the left with a deft disregard for common sense or decency. Is this the change you really wanted?

***** End of Update *****

I have been intentionally ignoring the new President for a while now in order to see where he stands. I think that I have a good idea of who he is and frankly, he scares the hell out of me. I don’t subscribe to “Obama Derangement Syndrome” as many in the left suggest, but I certainly don’t trust the man. Obama is a liberal in the Saul Alinsky mold and he definitely follows the rules for radicals. He yearns for revolution because he believes that the proletariat is stupid and needs a new nanny government to protect them from themselves.

That he and the leftists in Congress seek the same end is no surprise. Since the 1970’s, the left has learned to hide their agenda in arguments that seek to protect the working class, to provide for the needs of the single mother, to protect children, and to spread the wealth. We have seen this argument before. Sure, it has had many faces and many locales, but the core concepts remain true to its origin: Socialism.

When the left stole the Republican planks concerning family values and the middle class, they effectively confused the American voter who could no longer differentiate between the two political parties. The confusion engendered in the electorate was by design. Since that time, the left has lied gloriously to keep their true agenda in the shadows. That agenda is to turn the United States of America into a socialist nation and to replace the U.S. Constitution with a document that will allow them to act as they wish without fear of being overturned by the Supreme Court. Under this system, your rights as a citizen of the United States will be abridged in favor of policies that favor the collective interest of the citizens as a whole. At long last, the left will be able to remove the thorn of individualism from their side.

Today, we have a newly elected messianic figure as the President who has single handedly ended the War on Terror and stopped the trials of the terrorists at Gitmo. He has made overtures to Iran, telling them that we have changed and are no longer their mortal enemy. Additionally, Obama has signed executive orders that has severely limited the interrogator’s methods, eliminated secret holding facilities for prisoners, forbidden water boarding of prisoners (interestingly, we can still water board Navy SEALS which is where the technique originated), and shutting down the prisoner holding facility at Gitmo in twelve months. Oddly, there is no plan on what to do with the inmates of Gitmo. The U.S. has asked several countries to take them and all have refused. This is not surprising because where ever they are deposited will become the new prime terror target. Further, repatriation is also a problem because many of those released have been recaptured on the field of battle where they were doing their best to kill Americans. Obama even wants to stop using the term “War on Terror” because it apparently isn’t politically correct and it insults his friends Rashid Khalidi, Bill Ayers, and Bernadine Dohrn who are proud former terrorists and offended by the term.

The picture darkens greatly when you consider the current economic downturn. While greed and corrupt capitalists played their parts, the U.S. Congress also bears a great deal of the responsibility. Ironically, when President Obama represented ACORN (the organization that is publicly funded and in constant trouble for rigging elections) in its lawsuit against Citibank in an effort to get the lender to extend mortgages to people who most likely could not repay them, he began a trend that resulted in the economic problems that we have today. The Congress pursued a similar goal and encouraged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy these toxic assets and guaranteed the mortgages with government authority. As a result, the housing market exploded and property values inflated dramatically. When Republicans warned of troubles ahead back in 2004, Barney Frank and Maxine Waters stood by the corrupt leadership of Franklin Raines and targeted the whistle blowers for a political beating. The fact that these politician were on the dole of both Fannie and Freddie was never brought up by the main stream media. So much for liberty’s watch dog looking out for the interests of the citizen.

Now that the Federal government is purchasing shares of banks and American corporations, Obama has decided how much these corporations can pay their executives by limiting the amount to $500,000.00 per annum. While this will work to undermine the leadership of these companies, when you take the government’s money you take the government’s control as well. Rumor also has it that Obama and the Democrats in Congress want to nationalize the banks. If and when that happens, your freedoms will be over and you will be forced to tow the government line regardless of what you agree with.

The Republican Party, along with 12 democrats, did not vote for the next wave of pork barrel politics and this has given the Democrats pause. While the Dems don’t need the Republicans to approve their measures, by having Republican support they achieve a measure of cover if it should happen to blow up in their faces as it so often does. Now we will see if the American people truly deserve their freedom or if they will abdicate their individualism in favor of socialism and handouts. On the horizon we have socialized medicine and capitalism has been targeted for the kill and the left around the world proclaims that conservatism is dead.

To that end, I received an email that takes on that very point. I have attached it below for review:

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.
However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Signed,
Your boss